Unveiling the evolutionary dynamics of microRNA-targeted plant laccase genes

Dear Editor,MicroRNAs(miRNAs)are small noncoding RNA molecules that play crucial roles in the regulation of gene expression.They have been extensively studied in various organisms,including plants,where they have been found to be involved in diverse biological processes,such as development,growth,and response to environmental stresses.Plant miRNAs achieve their regulatory functions by binding to the mRNA of target genes and modulating their expression levels.In recent years,there has been growing interest in understanding the evolutionary aspects of miRNA-target interactions in plants(Cui et al.,2017).The evolution of miRNAs and their target genes can provide valuable insights into the mechanisms underlying the development and adaptation of plant species.One intriguing aspect of miRNA evolution is their co-evolution with specific target genes,which can have significant implications for plant phenotypic variation and evolution.

Community structure and carbon metabolism functions of bacterioplankton in the Guangdong coastal zone

Coastal ecosystems are an important region for biogeochemical cycling,are a hotspot of anthropogenic disturbance and play a crucial role in global carbon cycling through the metabolic activities of bacterioplankton.Bacterioplankton can be broadly classified into two lifestyles:free-living(FL)and particle-attached(PA).However,how coastal bacterioplankton the community structure,co-occurrence networks and carbon metabolic functions with different lifestyles are differentiated is still largely unknown.Understanding these processes is necessary to better determine the contributions of coastal bacterioplankton to carbon cycling.Here,the characteristics of community structure and carbon metabolism function of bacterioplankton with two lifestyles in the coastal areas of Guangdong Province were investigated using amplicon sequencing,metagenomic,and metatranscriptomic techniques.The results show that the main bacterioplankton responsible for carbon metabolism were the Pseudomonadota,Bacteroidota,and Actinomycetota.The microbial community structure,carbon metabolic function,and environmental preferences differ between different lifestyles.FL and PA bacteria exhibited higher carbon fixation and degradation potentials,respectively.A range of environmental factors,such as dissolved oxygen,pH,and temperature,were associated with the community structure and carbon metabolic functions of the bacterioplankton.Human activities,such as nutrient discharge,may affect the distribution of functional genes and enhance the carbon degradation functions of bacterioplankton.In conclusion,this study increased the understanding of the role of microorganisms in regulating carbon export in coastal ecosystems with intense human activity.